Why wicketkeepers are taking over the world

Steve James

The lunatics truly are taking over the asylum. Wicketkeepers are beginning to rule the cricketing world. OK, maybe it is a little harsh calling them lunatics, as Paul Downton, Peter Moores, Paul Farbrace and indeed Andy Flower are probably four of the saner former stumpers, but they do come from a breed that thrives on its eccentricity.

With Jack Russell as their chief barker, there can be no denying that. Smelly gloves, misshapen fingers, weird mannerisms and constant inanities from behind the sticks seemed to be the requirements of most keepers I played with or against.

They are certainly in some positions of power now, with Downton's appointment as England's new managing director, Dave Richardson as the International Cricket Council's chief executive, M?S Dhoni as captain of India and Rod Marsh's elevation to Australia's chairman of selectors.

But what about the coaching? It really is remarkable that Flower has been succeeded by Moores, with Farbrace as his sidekick. You wonder where poor old Bruce French, the wicketkeeping coach, now fits in. There is not going to be any shortage of keeping advice.

I will give you some more names. Steve Rhodes, David Ripley, Phil Whitticase, Simon Willis, Karl Krikken, Wayne Noon, Alec Stewart, Adrian Shaw, Tony Frost, Barry Hyam, Tim Nielsen, Ray Jennings, Steve Rixon, Iain Brunnschweiler, John Stanworth, Mark Garaway and Bobby Parks. I am pretty sure that is not an exhaustive list, but they are all wicketkeepers who have been involved in coaching at county or international level since they finished playing.

At this juncture I should probably make a confession: this column was prompted by a wicketkeeper. It was the idea of Glamorgan's current keeper, Mark Wallace, who, as county captain and chairman of the Professional Cricketers' Association, is another in high authority. But whether there is anything in keepers being coaches, or whether it is just coincidence, is another matter.

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First, there can be no doubting that the wicketkeeper is in the best position of any player to observe the game. He sees it as no other, and therefore his knowledge of the technical and tactical nuances is greatly enhanced.

Second, because of that position, a keeper has to impart a great deal of information to others. It is why I consider keepers to be ideal vice-captains. They always provide invaluable advice to a captain.

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In a way coaching is a little like being a vice-captain. You are in a leadership position, but you are not the leader. Duncan Fletcher, the India coach, has always said that the coach should be the consultant to the captain's role as chief executive of the business that is a cricket team, and that is how it should be.

In that respect it will be interesting to see how Moores does in his second stint as England coach, because one of the criticisms of his first stab was that he yearned too much to be in charge. Encouragingly, the signs so far are that Alastair Cook as captain is being given the lead role, especially if his considerable part in the departure of Graham Gooch is anything to go by.

Wallace reckons a key reason might be the fact that the keeper is seen as the fulcrum of a team, the link between the batsmen and bowlers; a relationship that can often become strained in a blame game when things go wrong. Keepers are often unpopular with the opposition, but nearly always hugely popular in their own team (we did once have an exception at Glamorgan, mind).

Or maybe this all goes back to the rationale behind coaching in general: that the best coaches are mostly those former players who had to work hardest at their games. The great players are often too instinctive. They have not had to think it through.

Watch most wicketkeepers bat - and they all have to bat productively these days - and you will rarely come to the immediate conclusion that the game is easy to them. Most of them have unusual techniques: nurdlers, nudgers and sweepers; wizened workers of the ball rather than polished persuaders.

There are exceptions, of course: Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist, Matt Prior and Stewart. But Russell, Flower, Alan Knott and countless others are keepers whose batting screamed labour and invention. Along with Dhoni and his helicopter shots, Jos Buttler, with his ramps, scoops and shovels, is now the new breed. What price Buttler a coach by about 2035?